Bees

Hi all! I've been a "busy bee" in the past few weeks. I have an art fair coming up in November and need to start cranking out some work. Some of the items I make are bumble bee ornaments with celebrity faces. I thought I'd share a few images of the ones I've completed so far. They're minus wings and ribbon at the moment. You can see other completed bees (with side-views) in my online shop.

First up (L to R): artist Sal-bee-dor Dali (Salvador Dali), Beeopatra (Cleopatra), and actress Bee Arthur (Bea Arthur)

Next up: pop singer and tween heartthrob Justin Beeber (Justin Bieber) and writer Neil Stamen (Neil Gaiman)

And last but not least, host of Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Beelor (Garrison Keillor) and President Bee-rack Obama:

Happy Friday!

First up

What I'm working on today ...Rolly Pollys

Our youngest kiddo loves bugs.  All kinds.  But she is especially found of rolly polly bugs.  She even made a little rolly polly house out of cinder blocks (I'm not sure just how effective it is with those big ole holes in the blocks  :)  ).

That's what I was thinking of when I sketched this little girl and her little buggy friends.

A New Sign

I just finished a sign for kids' old school. The school is great, energetic, creative, and keeps up with educational standards of children of a preschool age. Every time I would pull into the parking lot I would look at the over 20 year old sign and thought it didn't match what was going on inside so I was able to get a bigger sign and brighten up an old design just like the school brightened up my kids' preschool years.

The Sketchbook Project revisited

Trying to make steady progress on my drawings for the Sketchbook Project. January will be here before we know it, and I hope not to be rushing to finish at the last minute. Here Mouse has received a message that will start him on his journey on "uncharted waters". I wonder how it will all unfold...

I finally started my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project 2012. My theme is "monochromatic."


My daughter and I were reading about the elaborate process the ancient Egyptians followed in mummifying their dead. They even mummified animals! My daughter said, "We should have mummified Dharma (our now deceased dog)." It made me think of a sub-theme for my sketchbook project: "doggie in the afterlife." I don't know where this will lead. Maybe Dharma's ba will guide me.

Magnet Open Art Project

Labor Day weekend there was some fun art stuff going on in Concord, NH. The Magnet Open Art Project had a call to artists to submit a piece to be turned into a magnet, and left in the big wide world for one night for anyone to take and enjoy (the artist got a copy of their work as well). So I submitted my work..... and heard nothing. Labor Day came and went and imagine my surprise when a thank you mass-email was sent out from the MOAP, thanking everyone for participating and including a link to photos from the evening. I clicked on the link and started perusing the photos, trying to see if I could find mine. The magnets in the photos were so many together, it was hard to tell what was what....then I scrolled down to the bottom and BAM! There's my Robot Love magnet, all by itself, in what I'd like to think is a place of honor :) See for yourself here. A Robot Love magnet of my very own now hangs proudly on my fridge. What a great idea this was, and next time I want to make sure to see it in person! I wonder who got my magnet....

Halloween ideas

Halloween ideas I'm playing with.  I'm playing with some technique ideas.

I think I'm a little bored of digital color at the moment.  I might just do these in collage or watercolor... not too sure yet.  Hmmmm.....

New Header

What have I been working on lately? Look above this post! It's the autumn Smells Like Crayon blog header, of course! Nothing says fall quite like crisp days, apples, and little critters preparing for the winter ahead. So, of course I had to paint a squirrel acorn-hunting in best his fall scarf!

My other big news is that I am the winner of the New Hampshire Public Radio art mug contest! My painting will be featured on the mugs which serve as thank-you gifts during the fall pledge drive. I was notified last month that my painting was selected. I went into the NHPR studios to turn in my artwork, get a tour, and do an interview for the week of the pledge drive. I was super excited (especially since I'm a huge NPR fan and supporter). So, if you are a listener, keep an ear out for me on the radio the week of the pledge drive in October. I'll keep the winning artwork secret until then.

This is the first September in 4 years that I'm not going back to college. (All graduated!) So, of course I signed up for weekend web workshops instead. Yep, I must be crazy. Other than that, I've been revamping the look of my Etsy shop and brainstorming my next illustrations. In the meantime, I hope you're all enjoying your September. Wishing you cool days and warm cider!

What's on my drawing board today

Hi everyone!

The kiddos are at school, errands/cleaning are done, and here I sit with my cuppa.  A little sketch that captures the kind of quiet I'm feeling right now.

IF Mysterious

These big friends find the little flying creature very mysterious.